Supreme Court Acquits Seven in 39-Year-Old Murder Case, Critiques High Court’s Remarks
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court acquitted all seven accused in a 39-year-old murder case, highlighting significant deficiencies in the prosecution’s evidence. The case, Vijay Singh @ Vijay Kr Sharma v. State of Bihar, revolved around the abduction and murder of a woman named Neelam on August 30, 1985. Her body was discovered the following day in a nearby paddy field, with a postmortem indicating severe damage to vital organs.
The accused were charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including murder and kidnapping. In 1992, a trial court convicted five of the seven accused, while two were acquitted. However, the Patna High Court later overturned the acquittal and upheld the convictions, prompting all seven to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Upon review, the Supreme Court noted that the prosecution’s case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, which raised significant doubts. The court pointed out that, despite the postmortem indicating unnatural death, there was a lack of direct evidence linking the accused to the crime. The circumstantial evidence, including witness testimonies, failed to meet legal standards of proof.
The Court criticized the High Court’s reasoning, particularly regarding the recovery of make-up articles from the deceased’s residence. The High Court had suggested that these items could not belong to a widow, implying that they must have belonged to the deceased. The Supreme Court strongly objected to this inference, calling it “legally untenable and highly objectionable.”
The Supreme Court remarked, “A sweeping observation of this nature is not commensurate with the sensitivity and neutrality expected from a court of law,” and noted that mere presence of make-up articles could not conclusively prove that the deceased resided there, especially since another woman lived in the house.
Ultimately, due to glaring lapses in the prosecution’s case and unreliable witness accounts, the Supreme Court overturned the trial court and High Court’s decisions, acquitting all seven accused. Senior Advocate RK Dash represented the accused, while the State of Bihar was represented by Advocates Shivam Singh and others.
(With inputs from agency)
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